(500) Days of Summer

After being disappointed with Astroboy last Saturday, it was a breath of fresh air to watch 500 Days of Summer. I’ve heard so many positive feedbacks for the movie. No matter how tempted I was to read online reviews, I refused to give in just so to avoid any spoilers.

I laughed even before the movie has reached its 10th second! If you have already watched it, I’m talking about the disclaimer saying that the movie is purely fictional! After the initial disclaimer, it was followed again by another warning saying, "This is a story of boy meets girl. But you should know upfront, this is not a love story."

Tom is an aspiring architect trapped in a job of being a greeting card writer. Summer works as an assistant of Tom’s boss. And that was the start of his 500 days with (and without) Summer.

I am just used to movies tackling how guys hurt girls but the table has been turned around in this movie. It somehow reminds me of He’s Just Not That Into You. But this time, she’s just not that into him. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (I remember him from 10 Things I Hate About You) portrayed the fragile-looking Tom so well that he gained my sympathy and will probably give girls a clearer view of how a guy’s heart works if it gets played on.

After watching, I realized why this film is such a hit. The narration is quirky yet entertaining. It somehow brings the audience inside Tom’s 500 days with Summer. People can also easily relate to the story as Tom and Summer are normal people. Plus, everybody has been in a “relationship” wherein the other person is just not ready to jump the cliff and fall with you. I mean who haven’t been dumped? It’s me not you. I need space. There’s no spark. And all other lame excuses they can think of.

It’s realistic, refreshing and funny. I think I was laughing every 5 or 10 minutes. But somewhere in the middle of the movie, I developed a deep sense of anger to Summer that turned into confusion. I am simply startled at why couldn’t she just say no instead of leaving Tom’s heart hanging upside down. But maybe, just maybe, Summer is not just a person. Well for me, Summer is merely a representation of an unrequited love and how people react to it once it comes knocking on their doors.

So yeah, boy meets girl and it’s not a love story, or technically not the love story we grew up to know. Because we crave for love stories with happy endings and that sweet, mushy feeling left on our hearts after watching or reading them overpowers the lesson that we should have learned. Some love stories just tickle our imaginations without even teaching us a thing or two. But this film is so brave to teach us in a funny and genius way. We should not get angry at people who hurt us. We should be thankful to them for they help us know ourselves in the process, know what we are capable to do and probably lead us to another love.

If you have once been heartbroken, or if you have lost your hope on love, or if you just want to have a number of hard laughs, watch 500 Days of Summer.